Tom Waits

About

Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during the 1970s, but his music since the 1980s has reflected greater influence from blues, rock, vaudeville, and experimental genres. Waits was born and raised in a middle-class family in Whittier, California. Inspired by the work of Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation, he began singing on the San Diego folk music circuit as a young boy. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1972, where he worked as a songwriter before signing a recording contract with Asylum Records. His first albums were the jazz-oriented Closing Time (1973) and The Heart of Saturday Night (1974), which reflected his lyrical interest in nightlife, poverty, and criminality. He repeatedly toured...

Known for

The SimpsonsSeries • 1989Wild Horse NineMovie • 2026WildwoodMovie • 2026The Book of EliMovie • 2010Bram Stoker's DraculaMovie • 1992Licorice PizzaMovie • 2021RoofmanMovie • 2025Seven PsychopathsMovie • 2012RockpalastSeries • 1974The Dead Don't DieMovie • 2019The Ballad of Buster ScruggsMovie • 2018Motherless BrooklynMovie • 2019The OutsidersMovie • 1983Ultra City SmithsSeries • 2021The Imaginarium of Doctor ParnassusMovie • 2009The Fisher KingMovie • 1991Father Mother Sister BrotherMovie • 2025Rumble FishMovie • 1983DominoMovie • 2005Coffee and CigarettesMovie • 2004Mystery MenMovie • 1999The Cotton ClubMovie • 1984Mystery TrainMovie • 1989The Old Man & the GunMovie • 2018